


By your side

by schofieldelicate



Category: 1917 (Movie 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Blakefield, Falling In Love, Fix-It, Fluff, M/M, Medical Inaccuracies, fix it fic because we still need to fix sam mendes' mistakes, like deeply, very soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23963980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schofieldelicate/pseuds/schofieldelicate
Summary: William liked to think that they were meant to be.That the sun had always wanted to shine on them together, bathing them in golden light.William Schofield had known since the day Thomas Blake joined the 8th that he never wanted to lay his eyes on any other person again.He was so beautiful, kind, and loving; there wasn’t a single cell in Tom’s body that didn’t beat for love.Had beaten for love.orlet's not pretend that this isn't just a fix-it fic
Relationships: Tom Blake & William Schofield, Tom Blake/William Schofield
Comments: 9
Kudos: 49





	By your side

**Author's Note:**

> this story starts on April 7th, right after Scho reaches the 2nd devon's (also hi everyone from the discord)
> 
> also, as u can tell, i am still terrible at choosing titles!

William liked to think that they were meant to be. 

That the sun had always wanted to shine on them together, bathing them in golden light.

William Schofield had known since the day Thomas Blake joined the 8th that he never wanted to lay his eyes on any other person again.

He was so beautiful, kind, and loving; there wasn’t a single cell in Tom’s body that didn’t beat for love. 

Or had beaten for love.

Shocked by that realization, William opened his eyes, immediately being blinded by the light of the sun. How ironic, he thought, pressing his hand on his neck. It hurt terribly but nothing came close to the pain William was feeling in his heart.

He lost Tom. Tom, his best friend, his companion - the person he could trust with everything. Tom’s smile always managed to make him feel safe and alive - he was the only person keeping William going. But now, Tom was gone, laying ice cold in the mud next to a French farm, the German soldier who stabbed him to death a couple of feet away.

“Schofield”, William heard his name being spoken softly and he looked up to Joe. It was clear that Joe Blake had been crying over his loss too, his eyes red and swollen.

“Please let us check your wounds and then we can find you a way back tho your company”, he ordered and William slowly got up, nodding. He wasn’t about to ignore a lieutenant’s command and he had nothing else to do. Hell, his whole life was pointless now that Tom was gone.

Quietly, Schofield followed Blake through the trenches. Many wounded people were being carried around, medics yelling orders. As Schofield looked at some men sitting in the sun, Schofield tried to feel some sense of accomplishment. After all, he did safe 1600 men. But he just couldn’t, all William could feel was numbness.

“Please follow me inside”, Joe spoke after a while, walking into a large tent. William followed quickly, immediately feeling lightheaded as he looked around. There was so much blood and death around him and Schofield suddenly felt as if he wanted to throw up.

Joe asked him to sit down on an empty field hospital bed.

“I’m going to get you a nurse”, he decided, leaving Schofield alone. Schofield barely had time to sit down as comfortably as possible when Joe already showed up with a brunette nurse. She gave him a gracious smile and moved closer to him.

“Lance Corporal William Schofield, is that right?”, she stated, taking Schofield's face delicately in her hand and forcing him to look to the side.

“Yes, ma’am”, William responded and the women leaned closer, examining his head.

“That doesn’t look too bad”, she whispered to herself after a while, grabbing his hand instead.

“It seemed quite infected to me”, Joe spoke and William closed his eyes, letting the woman gently touch his hand. A sudden fatigue fell over him and he barely managed to listen to the nurse’s words.

“What happened to your hand?”, she asked after applying a thick, white creme and Schofield slowly opened his eyes, trying his best to remember. He was tired and the only thing William could remember clearly were Tom’s pale, lifeless eyes.

“Barbed wire… and then I put it though a dead body”, he slurred and the nurse’s eyes widened in horror.

“Okay, William. We are going to take care of you. All you have to do is rest”, she spoke slowly and William nodded, letting his guards down. Joe tapped his shoulder in a friendly manner, whispering that he’ll come back later, but William barely heard it, immediately falling into a deep sleep. 

The next time William woke up he was being carried into a transport truck. William’s view was completely blurry but he seemed to recognize the hazel eyes of the nurse that looked after him.

“Where am I going?”, he whispered slowly and the girl took his healthy hand, holding it for a moment.

“To a bigger hospital where they can take better care of you. Your infection is worse than we expected and you have a fever”, the nurse explained slowly, pressing a damp cloth on his forehead. Schofield closed his eyes again, not really registering what she was saying.

“Thank you”, he muttered quietly before falling back into a dreamless sleep.

When William Schofield woke up again, he was in an unfamiliar setting. As quickly as he could, Will decided to sit up, looking around with a frantic expression. He was in a small room, which looked like a bedroom in an old castle. There were about five other wounded soldiers next to him, all unconscious. What was he doing here? Where was Tom?

Tom. He needed to find Tom and make sure he was alright - the letter. The plane. The knife. The thoughts quickly came back to William and he leaned back, his eyes becoming hazy and grey.

Tom was gone.

“Oh, Mr. Schofield”, a friendly, feminine voice spoke and William turned his head, feeling a sharp pain. He managed to nod lightly, sinking back into his pillows.

Tom was gone.

“I am going to change the dressing on your hand. It’s going to hurt but that’s a good sign. It means that it’s working”, she spoke softly, reaching for William’s hand but the blonde man was barely listening to her, his thoughts swirling into a grey nightmare in his head.

Tom was gone. 

He didn’t manage to save him. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t just go on with his life now that he das lost the one person that made it worth living.

“Mr. Schofield, are you capable of answering a couple of questions?”, the nurse asked while treating his wound, her touch exact and careful. Slowly, William opened his eyes, looking at her for the first time. She was beautiful - blonde with gorgeous green eyes - but her eyes had an unmissable tiredness and sadness to them.

“Y-yes”, Schofield stuttered, trying to pull away his thoughts from Tom. Her soft touches nearly felt like Tom’s when he would hold his hand in the dark and windy nights, needing to feel William’s presence. Schofield felt a lump in his throat.

“So you are lance corporal William Schofield, correct?”, she asked, her soothing voice comforting William for a moment. He nodded slightly, looking at her concentrated expression as she spread the dressing.

“And you’re from…”

“From the 8th”, he finished her sentences, seeing a surprised expression on her face. William expected it, he was the only one of his battalion here, which wasn’t very habitual.

“Oh”, she muttered looking at him thoughtfully and William closed his eyes.

“I was sent on a mission alone. Well, not alone, but my friend…” Schofield started, losing his voice mid-sentence thinking about Tom. He cleared his throat, giving the sentence another go:

“My friend… didn’t make it.” Saying these words felt as if Schofield was being stabbed for every syllabus he pronounced. Or being strangled again. The nurse gave him a sad smile, applying pressure to his wound.

“I am sorry to hear that”, she answered and Schofield nodded, closing his eyes again. 

It was normal to lose friends in the war, William was used to it. He had lost Alfie in the Somme and Rogers who would always steal bread and give Schofield a piece. The pain was part of their journey, William had learned to deal with it. But Schofield had definitely not learned how to deal with the death of Tom Blake.

Tom Blake was a sunshine, his smile so bright it blinded William from seeing the war as what is was: deadly and atrocious. Instead, blinded by Tom, William started to see the beauty in everything and especially in Tom’s ocean blue eyes, allowing himself to feel comfort and brush his fingers through Tom’s dark curls when Tom was leaning against him, surrounded by pain. Or pulling Tom closer into his arms when he was shivering in the cold winter months. 

Tom made Schofield human, but for what? Tom would have never died if Schofield would have reacted like he would have before he met Tom and his incredible kindness and his beautiful, sparkling eyes. 

“Can you turn your head to the right”, the nurse spoke William back tor reality, and the blonde man did as told, starring at the bed next to him. Tom should be laying there.

The days passed and William drifted back and out of reality hourly. In the evening, William generally thought himself as felt fit enough to go find Tom’s body and give him a proper goodbye (the nurse didn’t). In the morning, William often barely managed to open his eyes, his head spinning, his wound pinching.

But after five, long days, Schofield’s temperature finally seemed to settle. He opened his eyes in the late morning, feeling coldness on his forehead.

“Good morning”, the nurse spoke happily, pressing the cloth against his forehead, a friendly smile on her face. Schofield shook his head lightly, trying to wake up completely and took in the world around him for the first time it was felt like ages.

“I took your temperature an hour ago and it looks great”, she explained and William slowly lifted his healthy hand, pressing it on the wet cloth that the nurse could move her hand away.

“I am still not sure to what extent your hand will heal so we have to keep a close eye on it”, she further added and William nodded, looking at his hand. It was wrapped in white bandaid and there was a tingling feeling in it, but William felt fine.

“Can I leave soon?”, he spoke, sitting up. William looked around, the man next to him was missing a limb and Will himself barely had a scratch on his hand. He should be fit to go back to the 8th.

“Not so fast, young men”, the nurse laughed and William gave her a look, sighing loudly.

“Can I have some paper and a pen instead?”, he asked with clear annoyance in his voice that the nurse chuckled.  
“Sure”, she agreed, getting up. William decided to take a sip of water, looking around. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to write and he didn’t even know who he wanted to write to. 

Writing Tom’s mum as Blake asked him to seemed like the right choice, but Schofield was sure that he couldn’t handle it just yet. He hadn’t even had the chance to fully cry over him if you didn’t count the sobs in Croisilles wood. 

Maybe, he shouldn’t write at all.

Carefully William twisted his body, laying his bare feet on the cold floor.

“What are you doing, lance corporal?”, the blonde nurse spoke alarmed, a pen in her hand, but Schofield just shook his head.

“I need some fresh air. Please”, he answered, putting emphasis on the last word. Slowly, her expression softened and she nodded.

“But be careful!”, she reminded him as he got up and weakly put on his shoes. William just nodded again, picking up his blanket and wrapping it around himself. It was still April after all, and a cold one for that.

His first steps were rather slow, but quickly William picked up his pace, happily leaving the little room. He needed to go outside - Schofield hadn’t even realized how stuffy the air was.

As he walked through an empty corridor, William spotted a vase filled with beautiful, yellow wildflowers. His heart immediately ached at the sight, reminding him of Tom. Tom loved flowers and yellow was his absolutely favorite color; always threading flower crowns when he had a chance.

William swallowed loudly, tears prickling in his eyes. There was also a little notebook next to the vase, just like Tom’s.

Everything reminded him of Tom. The flowers, the books, even his stupid blanket. Why couldn’t he just let him go? He was so good at this usually!

But no, Tom was everywhere. In the air, in the light, in the pain-

“Jesus Christ, be careful, Miss! I’m delicate, you need to handle me with care.”

He could even hear Tom’s voice. His beautiful, angelic voice, so clear and soft- wait. William stood still, his eyes opening wide in panic.

“Thank you. Can I eat yet?”

That was definitely not in his head and that was just as surely Tom’s voice. But that wasn’t possible, Tom was dead. Maybe it was his brother? But he had met Joe and he sounded nothing like Tom.

“But I’m sick of these watery soups!”

Before William’s brain could catch up and remind him that running was a terrible idea, Schofield’s legs had already started to run to the door from where the voice was coming from. He opened the door with incredible force, his eyes quickly scanning the beds.

And - there he was. Tom. Wrapped up in bandaid, his arms crossed over his chest, two nurses hovering over him.

Tom. His Tom was there. And he looked beautiful.

“Tom!”, he screamed, completely forgetting that he was in a hospital and he ran to Tom’s bed, softly pushing away a nurse. He kneeled down next to the bed and grabbed his hand, pressing it to his chest.

“Tom”, he sobbed, looking up to see his face, to make sure it was really him. But there was no doubt in his mind. It was Tom Blake. Tom with his beautiful, chocolate curls and sapphire blue eyes that were looking at him with disbelief.

“S-Scho?”, he said softly and William nodded, letting the tears roll down his cheeks. He had known that he would cry today, but he didn’t even dream that it would be for that reason. The nurses quickly moved away, pulling up a divider.

“You’re alive”, William said, the tears dropping down onto the blanket, and Tom weakly lifted his finger, brushing them away.

“Of course, you can’t get rid of me that easily”, Tom laughed, but intertwined his fingers with Schofield’s, pulling him closer. Will looked at their intertwined hands, fondly comparing the sizes of their hands. Tom’s were so small in comparison to his and William never wanted to let go. 

“You were dead, Tom. I-I was there”, William replied in shock, and Tom closed his eyes for a moment.

“No. I guess I was just unconscious because I woke up here sometime later”, he replied softly and William lifted his gaze, staring at Tom. 

He looked gorgeous. Yes, he was pale and there were sweat drops on his forehead and blood stains on his cheeks. But his lips were still as plump, his cheeks as rosy and his eyes more alive than anything William had seen in the war.

“Tom”, was all he was capable to say and Tom smiled - that charming smile - so that William slowly raised his hand, cupping Tom’s cheek lovingly.

“I was about to write your mom that you died”, he choked and Tom’s eyes widened.

“Scho!”

“I already told your brother you died”, he added, quietly, looking at the floor.

“Why would you do that?”, Tom replied, horror in his voice. 

“Well, you did die in my arms-“

“I was unconscious”, Blake interrupted him and William smiled. He had missed being interrupted by Tom, although he had barely said a dozen sentences since leaving his side.

“- and you literally asked me to write your mom”, he finished his thought. 

“Yeah, but not, like, right now. I was thinking in five to seven business days”, he replied with a little smile, brushing his fingers over Will’s palms.

“Apparently, it has been five days or more”, Schofield said after a moment, bringing Tom’s hand to his lips and kissing it softly. He had never kissed Tom before, except on the crown of his head on a particularly hard day for Tom, but it felt incredibly right.

“Well, they have been pumping me full with morphine so I don’t recall anything”, Blake laughed and William smiled, looking at Tom in peace. He was sitting in front of him, breathing, blood pumping through his veins.

“How are you feeling, Tom?”, he asked softly and Tom smiled, his eyes twinkling. 

“I’m alive, you’re alive”, Blake softly laid his hand on William’s chest, “You’re here. So I’m as good as it gets.” William couldn’t help but smile sheepishly, laying his healthy hand on Tom’s. There was no way that Tom was feeling anywhere near good, but that was Tom. Always so positive and cheerful. Schofield slightly pressed Tom’s hand.

“Mr. Schofield”

“That’s my nurse”, William whispered, immediately taking a couple of steps back as she woman came towards him, a kind expression on his face.

“I thought you were going on a hike”, she chuckled, approaching William.

“Yes but then I heard To- Blake complain about food so I had to see him. I’m sorry”, he excused himself his gaze falling on Tom, who was smiling brightly.

“But, he’s alive”, he couldn’t stop himself from saying, grinning from ear to ear. Only Tom could have that effect on him.

“I’m glad but we have to take care of your hand. We don’t want any nerve damage and this young man needs to rest”, she replied and William nodded. It was clearly his queue to leave. He didn’t want to, he wanted to stay close to Tom and hold him and never let go ever again.

“Now, shoo, Scho”, Tom giggled when he saw his conflicted expression and Will nodded, following the nurse. Tom couldn’t go anywhere. He was safe for now.

Over the next days, the nurse noticed that William was a hopeless case when it came to following rules. He would always sneak away to Tom, sitting cross-legged on the cold floor, his head leaning against the bed. Often, Tom wasn’t even awake but Will would sit there, a vacant eye on the younger boy.

William knew that he was making her life harder and he did feel bad about it (he tried to go back to his bed every other hour for the check-up) but William couldn’t stay away. Especially since Tom had had a little fever.

But the time passed and Tom started doing better. So good, that Dr. Gremson ordered that Tom should learn to stand up again. And William - of course - immediately volunteered to be the one helping him.

“If you keep using your hand, it might never get better”, his nurse spoke sternly, but William just shrugged. His nurse, Amanda was her name, just raised her eyebrows and William knew that she knew that she couldn’t do anything to stop him.

“I’ll be careful, I promise”, Will said to make her feel better, immediately standing up as she secured the bandage around Schofield’s hand. Then he walked to Tom’s room, where Tom was already sitting in a wheelchair.

“Are you ready?”, Tom asked with sparkles in his eyes and Will walked up to him, a grin on his face. The anticipation was written all over Tom’s face and William could understand it: this was an important moment for Tom.

“I should ask if you’re ready”, Schofield replied with a grin and started to push the wheelchair. It made weird scratching noises and should definitely be oiled, but that wasn’t important. William had thought Tom had died and here he was, learning how to walk again. Life was a miracle. 

Tom’s nurse closely followed behind as William pushed the wheelchair into the garden. It was a warm day and William knew that Tom loved flowers more than anything. So his first steps could as well be in nature.

“Once I’m standing, we’re gonna have a race”, Tom giggled as William took his hands in his, feeling the incredible softness of Tom’s hand. He had already managed to stand up a couple of times, but now it was all about getting him to take a few steps.

“And you’re going to win”, Schofield replied fondly, looking into Tom’s beautiful eyes.

“Are you ready?”, he asked one last time and Tom nodded with excitement.  
“Always if you are”, he replied softly, and Will assembled all his strength and pushed Tom up. The nurse immediately put her hands on Tom’s waist, stabilizing him.

“You’re doing amazing!”, she exclaimed and Will nodded, wrapping his arm around Tom’s waist. Tom immediately took Schofield’s hand and breathed out deeply. 

“Bloody hell”, he muttered lightly as he looked down to his feet. Will couldn’t help but smile brightly and the nurse had a fond smile on her lips, too.

“You’re doing great”, he said and Tom nodded, a determined expression on his face.

Tom learned to walk quickly. He always needed Will by his side to hold him, but he was making incredible progress. And Will wanted to be there for every step of the way - Blake’s incredible smile when he succeeded a couple more steps being all that he needed to survive. Schofield was sure: Tom was his bread and water.

A dozen days after Tom’s first steps, Will and Tom were slowly walking through the French garden behind the chateau.

It was a cloudy day and they were alone, the nurse not needing to follow them around anymore and Willam was enjoying the moment of privacy with Tom. His arms were still steadily wrapped around the boy’s waist as they slowly walked to Tom’s favorite part of the garden.

“C-can we sit down?”, Blake said with exhaustion as they arrived at his favorite tree - a rainbow of flowers blooming around it.

“Of course”, Will quickly replied, helping him sit down and ignoring the pain in his hand. As soon as Tom was sitting comfortably, William sat down closely, his shoulder brushing Tom’s.

“I got a letter”, Tom said after a while, and William opened his eyes wide, looking at the beautiful boy. His cheeks were flushed and he was licking his lips, making Will feel dizzy.

“Oh”, was all Schofield managed to reply, his eyes wide in stress. He hoped it was good news.

“I’m going to be sent home after my wounds heal. No more trenches for me”, Blake spoke softly, turning his head to look into William’s eyes. There was something in them that William couldn’t quite decipher, and he lifted his hands unconsciously, brushing it over Tom’s rosy cheeks. 

Tom’s face had slowly gained all its color back and Will struggled deeply when it came to resisting Tom. He looked so young and beautiful, like a prism of color in a world of grey. Will couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but he wanted to touch his deep red lips, brush his fingers through his chocolate curls, hear Tom whimper his name while-

“That’s amazing”, he answered quickly, looking away to stop himself from thinking this rather dirty thought. Tom shrugged, biting his lower lip.

“What about you? Are you going back to the trenches?”, Blake asked instead.

“Probably. An infected hand and a concussion don’t sound like a reason to spare me”, he replied with a little smile, that Tom clearly didn’t return.

“But…”, Tom started, sighing loudly. He was looking at his feet as they were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.

“I want you to come home with me”, he finished his thought, still looking decisively away. And Schofield would be lying if it didn’t make his heart flutter. Tom wanting him with him was everything William had ever wanted. He wanted to be with Tom all the time, taking care of him till the end of his days.

“I want to stay with you, too. Losing you once was enough”, he answered truthfully, his gaze wandering over Tom’s beautiful features again. As Will already realized: Tom was irresistible. 

Finally, Tom smiled sadly, looking straight into William’s eyes.

“I lost you too, remember?”, he answered and William raised his hand, brushing away a rebellious curl from Tom’s forehead. William wasn’t sure what he was talking about; was it when he left Tom to die, when he was buried under tons of debris or maybe he was talking about a moment that happened even earlier. 

But William didn’t care. The look in Tom’s eyes was so innocent and full of fear and love that he didn’t think twice before fluttering his eyes shut and leaned towards Tom. Before he could remind himself that this was probably a terrible idea since Tom was obviously straight, he brushed his lips over Tom’s, expecting him to pull away.

But Tom didn’t. Instead, he wrapped his hands around Schofield’s neck, pulling him closer. Tom’s lips were so soft and when he licked into Will’s mouth, Schofield couldn’t hold back a soft moan. Apparently, this made Tom only want more as he deepened the kiss, pushing William down to hover over him.

William’s healthy hand found its way into Tom’s hair and he kissed Tom back just as passionately. Tom tasted like strawberries and green apples and William decided, that it was his favorite taste in the whole world.

He couldn’t believe he was actually kissing Tom, but it made so much sense. What he felt for Blake was deep, meaningful love and he couldn’t believe that it took him months to realize the true nature of his feelings.

After a couple of seconds, or hours, or years, Tom separated his lips from Schofield’s, looking at him with sparkling eyes.

“Scho…”, was all that he managed to breathe out and Will smiled, pressing another peck on Tom’s sensual lips. 

“I thought you’d never find the courage to kiss me”, Blake giggled after a moment, nudging his nose against Will’s lovingly. Schofield laughed quietly, cupping Tom’s face as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

“Well, you could have kissed me back in the trenches”, he smiled and Tom shrugged, pressing a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth.

“I don’t know, Will, I like the idea of being wooed”, he answered, wiggling his eyebrows, and Schofield giggled, pressing his lips on Tom’s again to kiss him tenderly.  
As if on queue, the clouds moved and the sun shined brightly down on them, a golden haze falling over them.

And William Schofield knew that they were truly meant to be.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like our lil fandom is getting smaller so if you’re still here and giving out kudos and commenting i love you


End file.
